Tomorrow’s full moon is in Aries, the fiery sign of the spiritual warrior who champions Truth and Justice.
Hundreds of thousands of women are feeling the fiery pull of this moon. They are fired up & fed up. They are taking to social media to speak out against sexual aggression and assault. They are standing in their power and calling men out for dishonoring and disrespecting girls and women for far too long. They are shouting ‘No More!’
A tsunami wave of fierce feminine power has been unleashed. Sexism is being uprooted and brought to the surface.
To warrior women everywhere: Take a deep breath, find your inner balance and GO!
Are you feeling it too? Relationship Goddess Juno is shaking things up this month (her namesake month). She has joined with dark Goddess Lilith in the heavens to ‘stir the pot’ and wake women up. Here is what Divine Harmony recently shared about Juno’s affect on us:
“… Juno’s retrograde journey is getting even more interesting as today she dips back into libra and she will station direct on June 22nd also at the 29th degree- a very karmic degree that speaks to completions, endings and letting go. juno essentially comes to a standstill at 29 libra- so from now until July 7th we are in deeply karmic territory in relationships, commitments and contracts in our lives. there are definite major karmic completions going on right now. whether significant relationships are ending for good or longtime karmic patterns of relating to others is what is ending (or both)- there’s some deep stuff to navigate in the realm of relationships. because Juno stations in libra- we are being asked to look at any issues we have with losing ourselves in others, over focusing on who we are with rather than who we are or if we are happy, as well as where we tend to sweep the shadow under the carpet (ours or another’s). libra is the sign of the scales which brings to mind the justice card in the tarot. right now the scales are being rectified- with all parties needing to account for their part in things in order for healing or closure to happen. navigate this month wisely- and focus on completing karmic patterns you are finally good and ready to leave behind!”
another layer of energy gets added in when we notice that Juno is journeying with black moon Lilith right now as well. they cojoined on may 29th and will do so again on September 11th. Lilith and Juno aligns the asteroid Goddess of partnership, marriage and commitment with the fierce Dark Goddess who governs equality, passion, power and sexuality. with these two dancing in the deep, intense, underworld waters of scorpio we can be deeply confronted with fear of or addiction to intimacy, misuse of or repression of sexuality, shared power vs power control dynamics, jealousy, possessiveness, obsession and operating in relationship from a place of ego need (i want this- fill me up!) rather than Higher Self awareness is up for us to address big time. with juno traversing with BML we also have an interesting juxtaposition of the Goddess of commitment and the Dark Goddess of freedom and independence. with both in underworld scorpio there can be big shadows up right now around fear of engulfment (BML shadow) or fear of abandonment (Juno shadow) and the things we do to avoid feeling all the emotions that arise when either of this are experienced. it’s important to pay attention to emotions, passions and desires at this full moon and do an honest self check in if they are running you or if you are running them, or if you are shutting them down altogether…”
Heaven is hers! Earth is hers! She is a warrior. She is a falcon. She is a great white cow. She fought the dragon and slew it. She seduced the scorpion and tamed it. The golden lion slept at her side. She is the singer. She is desire. She is the mountain of silver, gold and lapis. On her hips tall trees grow and grasses. From Her waters spout and savory grains. Her lap is holy. Her lips are honey. Her hand is law. Her breasts pour heavenly rain. She is the healer. She is life-giver. She is the terror, the anger, the hunger. Fierce winds blow from her heart. Hers is the thunder, the lightning, the glory. She is the morning. She is the evening. She is the star. She wears the gown of mystery. Heaven is hers! Earth is hers! Who can argue?
Inanna’s Chant by Janine Canan
Inanna is an ancient Sumerian Goddess of fertility, love and beauty. The people of Mesopotamia worshipped Inanna as far back as 4000 BCE (perhaps even earlier) as the undisputed Queen of Heaven. No other Goddess in any culture has come close to matching Inanna’s stature and power. The Akkadians also knew her, calling her Ishtar. And many anthropologists assert that Inanna later morphed into the Greek Goddess Aphrodite, and then the Roman Venus.
The story of Inanna’s journey into the Underworld has been told and re-told since ancient times. Inanna enters the darkness of the Underworld and must strip away her adornments and clothing piece by piece. Inanna is tested and must let go of who she once was. She is laid bare. Eventually Inanna embraces her naked and vulnerable true Self. And ultimately, she emerges from the dark and rises again as the Queen of Heaven.
Inanna’s myth is an ancient story. Yet it still holds deep wisdom about the transformation many of us go through. Hers is the story of a woman embracing her true self and recovering her Soul.
Moon Meets Morning Star photo by Kwon, O Chul (TWAN)
Every 584 days, the planet Venus traces Inanna’s mythic journey in the skies over our Earth. Venus appears in our sky as a bright morning “star.” Over many weeks, Venus descends toward Earth and then disappears from view. Weeks later, Venus emerges from the dark Underworld. She has been transformed and is now a mature evening “star.”
Venus, Inanna, Aphrodite, Ishtar… there are many names for this sacred Goddess, the Queen of Heaven. Her roots are ancient and deep. And her wild wisdom flows through the Souls of all women. By any name she is one original #BadassWoman!
Look up tonight. The sky will be dark and the stars should be especially bright. This is new moon time.
Each month, our moon cycles from dark phase to full, then back to dark again. This particular new moon occurs when our moon is in the earthy sign of Virgo. Traditionally Virgo represented the Priestess, keeper of sacred timing and rituals. Our ancestors who lived closer to the earth and in synchrony with the moon and sun cycles, liked to place rituals during this potent new moon time.
Forgive and Let Go
“We are all like the bright moon, we still have our darker side.” ~Khalil Gibran
The dark phase of the moon is the perfect time to let go of inner darkness and make space for more light and love. Many times we hang onto dark events in our past because we cannot forgive another person. Or we cannot forgive ourselves. When it comes to forgiveness, ritual can be a great help to us. Ritual can help us amplify our intentions. Ritual can put a little extra power into our prayers.
When most people think of rituals, they picture an elaborate high Mass at church, or long drawn out funeral. But ritual does not need to be elaborate to be meaningful. I share below a simple ritual to help you forgive and let go.
10 Minute Forgiveness Ritual
Create a list of 3-6 things you want to forgive and release.
Light a candle.
Offer up a short prayer; ask Spirit to help you forgive and let go.
Breathe slowly and deeply.
As you breathe, offer yourself love despite some mistake that haunts you.
Then offer that same love to others who hurt you as well.
If tears come, allow yourself to cry and release.
Burn your list.
Dance to release even more; put on a favorite song and move. Dance and shake!
Think of one intention you want to hold for the months ahead.
State your intention aloud.
As you blow out the candle, thank Spirit for helping you forgive and move on.
In this potent new moon time, let’s choose to consciously let go of past troubles and mistakes. Let’s release our heavy baggage, so we can “lighten up” and flow joyfully into fall.
In the heavens above us, a full lunar eclipse and a solar eclipse occurred this month. I share Jia Hao’s images of this week’s solar eclipse above (link to more eclipse info). What a bizarre and amazing sight to see our sun temporarily snuffed out by the shadow of our moon!
My astrologer friends tell me that eclipses intensify and stir up whatever is going on in our lives here on planet Earth. Some believe that eclipses bring up our subconscious shadow selves to be healed. But the Cardinal Grand Cross that formed in our sky a week ago is even more unusual than an eclipse. This huge planetary cross was created by Jupiter, Pluto, Mars and Uranus; 4 planets actually lined up in a perfect cross formation in our sky this month. You can bet that I sat up and paid attention when I heard that this cross was slowly forming in our skies and would be perfectly aligned on April 23, my birthday. Yikes!
I don’t know about you, but it has definitely been a month of shakeup and shifts for me and my entire family; we moved into a new home, lived through huge job shifts, a delay in the release of my book, and weird illnesses with odd body symptoms that hang on and on… There have been so many unusual events happening in my neck of the woods that I can’t help but shake my head in wonder. And the world around me seems all stirred up too. I have been engulfed and surrounded by chaos and shakeup all month.
I can’t help but wonder what wisdom is held within this crazy, chaotic Grand Cross time for us? Shamanic astrologer Tami Brunk shares this on her web site, Astrology for Earth Renewal:
“This Cardinal Grand Cross is about a cataclysmic transformation of human culture. At its center is the heart–of our shared humanity, and each of us as individuals. The heart of Retrograde Mars in Libra on an inward journey asking the question–how do I care for both others and myself? Jupiter in Cancer asking–how can I find a home in my own heart, and nurture my family, my tribe? Pluto in Capricorn asking–how can I break down the structures and fortresses and walls that have been constructed between each human being, between masculine and feminine, between humanity and the Earth? The heart of Uranus in Aries asking–how can I awaken humanity to a New Beginning, a radical new path forward, filled with Spirit, with consciousness?”
~Tami Brunk
It seems funny now that I never paid much attention to astrology (or astronomy) when I was in my 20’s and 30’s. Back then I would read my horoscope for laughs, but the movements of the planets just didn’t seem that important to me. But over time, I’ve come to realize that the workings of the sun, moon and planets actually do have an effect on my life; I’ve experienced so many instances of shifts in my life lining up with shifts in the heavens that defied the odds of chance. And as I watch the heavens this month, the synchronicity between my life and the cyclic movements in the sky above me just gets more and more obvious.
My Celtic ancestors would laugh at how long it has taken me to accept the idea that I might actually be affected by what’s happening in the heavens. The Celts believed in the spiritual principle of “as above, so below”; what happens in the heavens is synchronized with what happens on planet Earth. The Celts actually studied how the movements in their sky affected and interacted with events on Earth. They used the synchronicity between heaven and Earth to inform and guide their lives.
I wonder why this synchrony between heaven and Earth is such a strange and foreign idea for us today? When did we lose this knowing and why?
Quantum physicists have shown that just the act of observing the inner workings of atomic particles changes the behavior of those particles. Maybe it’s not so weird and far fetched to believe that the movements of huge planets around our sun actually affect and interact with all life on Earth. Maybe, just maybe my Celtic ancestors were onto something important.
I look at everything that’s happened recently in my life and I can’t help but nod and affirm what my ancestors knew so long ago, as above, so below…
“Not just beautiful, though–the stars are like the trees in the forest, alive and breathing. And they’re watching me.”
Tyler Leavitt’s photographs of last night’s full moon moving into a total lunar eclipse are stunning. I am reminded of how immense this Universe truly is. AND how every part of this vast Universe interacts and cycles to the rhythms of a magical melody.
This April full moon is in the sign of Libra, which means that relationship, balance and equality issues get activated and may come to the forefront in our lives this week… So, don’t be surprised if you experience “interesting” conversations and dynamic shifts with your lover, spouse, best friend, or business partner! AND Mars is also hanging out in Libra right now, amping up the male / female relationship dynamics even more.
With the moon in Libra, it is the perfect time to take some action to restore balance and harmony within your most important relationships – focus particularly on emotional balance. And please don’t forget about your relationship with Mother Earth, the one who nourishes us and provides this beautiful home. I love what shamanic practitioner Lena Stevens shares on her web site about this full moon time:
“This Moon in Libra is closely aligned with Ceres (exactly) and Vesta fully illuminating our relationship to our Mother planet and the gifts of nourishment and support she provides and reminding us to hold these feminine manifestations as sacred. This is a major theme of the eclipse/Full Moon not to be taken lightly… ” ~Lena Stevens, The Power Path
Now is the time to look for new ways to connect with Mama Earth. Now is the time to help our Earth to cleanse and restore balance. With Earth Day rapidly approaching – and isn’t EVERY day actually earth day? – now is the perfect time to focus on rebuilding a sacred, loving relationship between ourselves and Gaia, the original mother of all life on this planet.
Lena Stevens also writes about another subject near and dear to my heart, the power of spiritual connections to ground and calm us in these crazy times.
Tapping into our spiritual connections will help us avoid and balance the chaos and fear that can come from those around us when they lack an anchoring relationship to truth, love and power. When we experience an eclipse, it is an opportunity for reset. A portal of alignment is created where new influence can take precedence over the old…” ~Lena Stevens, The Power Path
How about renewing your spiritual connection to Mother Earth this week? No elaborate ritual is required; just a clear intention and an open heart.
Try This: Spend a few moments outside this week, reconnecting to mother earth. Revel in Spring! Sit on the ground and connect down into the soils of the earth, the dirt that grows our food. Breathe in the air that the trees create for us. Drink the water that this beautiful blue wet planet showers us with.
Breathe it all in with gratitude. Ask Mama Earth how you can help her. Then listen for her response.
These are the questions that come to mind when I gaze at the night sky. Maybe it’s because I’m female. The ancients claimed that all women are creatures of the moon. Or maybe it is because I was born in the early morning hours before dawn, just as the moon became full. And on that night many moons ago, the moon rose in the sign of Scorpio, the keeper of the night and the dark mysteries of life, death and rebirth. I am a moon baby.
For whatever reason, I have been fascinated by the moon for as long as I can remember. My ancestors used the cycles of the moon to track the passage of time. And I still do the same – in fact, it stuns me that the Gregorian calendar in use all over the world is not linked directly to the cyclic movements of the earth and moon. That’s why we have a silly Leap Year day every 4 years – we need to “correct” the errors in the Gregorian calendar! Whoever thought it was a good idea to ignore astronomy when creating a calendar?!
In every solar year (the time it takes mother earth to go all the way around our sun), the moon goes through 13 cycles. There are 13 lunar months in each year, not 12. And within each lunar cycle, the moon slowly shifts from the dark phase of a new moon, gradually showing more and more of herself (waxing) until she complete reveals herself at the full moon. Then she slowly wanes, showing less and less of herself in the night sky until she is not visible at all. Then the moon cycle dance begins again.
These cycles where the moon is constantly shifting and dancing with how much she reveals of herself seem quite female to me. There is nothing linear about the moon! And I find that women are typically more changeable and moody and rhythmic than men, whether we care to admit it or not. 🙂
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant,
and a time to pluck up that which is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance…”
~Ecclesiastes, King James Bible
Our ancestors planned their sacred rituals around the cycles of the moon; they knew that each moon phase holds a specific power. So, when the moon was fully revealed in her full moon state, the ancients celebrated and worshipped the divine feminine energies of birthing and completion. Even today, wise midwives plan their schedules, knowing that many, many babies are born when the full moon exerts her pull on pregnant wombs! Full moons are times of completion.
In contrast, when the moon is hidden from view in her new moon state, the ancients saw it as a potent time to plant the seeds for new projects and begin new ventures. Even the timing of farm planting and sowing was tied to the moon cycles in ancient times; not so silly when we realize that the waters and tides of planet earth feel the pull of the moon as well.
The next time you’d like to start a new project, try starting it during the dark phase of the new moon. And when you are ready to celebrate an accomplishment or rite of passage, hold your celebration during full moon time. Synchronize with the rhythms of the moon and see how much potency organic timing can add to your life.
I love watching the moon go through her dance from dark to light and back to dark each month. I am definitely a moon baby! And I plan to continue my love affair with the rhythms and cycles of the moon until I leave this earth. It keeps me connected to the cycle of the seasons in a deep meaningful way.
